Garage Size Pictures

[Chopperjake]

Hello All,

Long time lurker and now getting ready to think about a build. I know bigger is always better , but I am thinking about a a simple gable at around 24x40.

Looking at a floorplan, I am having a very hard time envisioning how that size will work in the real world. Could you helpful folks that have garages in around that size post up some interior (and exterior) pictures so I can get a better idea?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Onewolf]

Let's start with a question of what are the purposes for your garage? What do you plan to "do" in your garage. That should narrow down layout and size considerations.

 

[G McKay]

Welcome!! Onewolf is right. The size of the garage will depend on what you want to do in your place and how many cars you want to store. And remember - you never have enough space!!

 

[OJ Bartley]

Here's a quick pic of my single... about 10 x 20. That leaves me just enough room to park the car and have a (shallow) workbench at the back. You won't want to go any smaller than this.

you never have enough space!!

He's absolutely right, so figure out what you THINK you need, and then build bigger. The other thing is that you can get extremely creative when you need to, as we see in many of the small garage/shop builds on here.

 

[Chopperjake]

I already have a 2 car garage for parking the "daily drivers", so the new garage will basically be for working on vehicles, welding, etc.

I will be restoring an old Bronco and in the next year acquiring some sort of sports/collector car for my mid life crisis!

Also planing to go with a vaulted ceiling for clearance for a lift.

In a perfect world, I would love to go huge, but costs and a scornful wife will prevent that. I have showed her a few pictures of garages in the 24x40 size and she is ok with the look, but I am hoping to see some pictures of that size on the inside so I can get an idea of how big (or not big) that really is.

Thanks!

 

[Chopperjake]

Here's a quick pic of my single... about 10 x 20. That leaves me just enough room to park the car and have a (shallow) workbench at the back. You won't want to go any smaller than this.

I was checking out your tiling thread. Very nice! I think the smallest I am considering is 24x40, but you have done a great job of utilzing a small space.

 

[Jagmandave]

24 X 40 is a decent size, but 30X50 would be just that much more usable, so you can separate the work area from the machine and tools area and so forth.

My garage is about 20 X 30, so half what you're contemplating, and the real answer lies in how you orientate the lengths, is it 40 deep or 40 wide?

Here's mine, after I reorganized it.....

View media item 35159
View media item 35158
and here it is with a couple of cars in it - it get's small in a hurry!

View media item 35594
Even when the cars aren't very big...

View media item 35163
Remember, it's a lot cheaper and easier to build it bigger than to add on later when you find it's too small.

 

[crewchief888]

i figured out the more room i had, the more "stuff" i had laying around.

i went from my 19x22 home garage, to a 30x40 rental for a year or so.

i think i scrapped 3x's what i moved back to my house when we closed up "the shop".

most of my s-10 blazer trail truck was built in my 19x22, eng/trans swap, fab work, cage, plumbing, electrical, SAS d30/35 swap, chopped doors, narrowed sheet metal.

2 harleys were built in a 22x22 attached garage at a previous home.

it's all about the use of the space you have.

 

[Chopperjake]

24 X 40 is a decent size, but 30X50 would be just that much more usable, so you can separate the work area from the machine and tools area and so forth.

My garage is about 20 X 30, so half what you're contemplating, and the real answer lies in how you orientate the lengths, is it 40 deep or 40 wide?


Remember, it's a lot cheaper and easier to build it bigger than to add on later when you find it's too small.

20x30 sounds large, but you're right that once a couple of cars get in there, it seems tight!

I might be able to push it to 26' or 28' wide by 40' deep, but I think that would be the limit. Any bigger and it will start to make my house look small!

 

[sberry]

Those are tny. if you look at the pic above with the guys standing there and look at 2 cars side by side and see no room along the walls, all wasted space, cant put a tool box, bench or shelf and when you open car door nearly hit the car in the next bay. Even 30 wide is minimal. A 36 or even 40 works soooooo much better and lets you set a sow blower or bicycle along the walls which is as much use as the rest of the place. The only reason I would have went longer is for more running wall room.

 

[BFBOB]

Clear span. If budget and engineering allow, having no posts will make the space much more usable. If you're going to use attic space for storage, be sure the trusses are designed for it.
That's a 4-car garage, but if you're not going to be parking 4 cars, (and let's hope not, since that won't leave much room for anything else!) consider saving a bit by only putting in two overhead doors. Make 'em 10' wide- 8' is tighter than you'd think measuring a car.
What kind of vehicles? Many full sized vans and some pickups are over 7' tall; make sure your doors are high enough.
Save space by putting your compressor in an attached shed and make your walk door, if you have one, open outward. Put a little porch roof over it.
Put overhangs on the roof, 18" at least, to keep water that much farther away. If your overhead doors are on the gable end, the overhang won't do much to keep rain out and away from the doors, so build an awning over them.

I envy you- I've got to work with what I have, but I dream of some day being able to start with a blank page.

 

[GN4WHLN]

This is definitely an area where you want to do some thinking. It's easy to say "It can never be too big", but you also have to look at it realistically. What size restrictions apply, how will it enhance the value of your property, how will it change your property taxes and so on. Do you need to heat and cool it? Do you want a lift? What is the best use of space; wide or long? Do you want mezzanine storage, a loft, a bathroom? There is a lot to think about. High bay or 8 foot ceiling? . Take a look at the Garage Gallery to start with some ideas. You can seriously go crazy but you really need to figure out what meets your needs and what your needs might expand into. Just don't short-shift it and go too small because it will cost more in the end to correct it than it would to wait a little and do it right the first time.

 

[zmotorsports]

I know you mentioned 24x40 and someone mentioned 30x40. Mine is right in between @ 34x34. I have 14' ceilings so no pictures of a vaulted ceiling.

I am in a similar situation whereas I have a two car on the house where my wife and I park our daily drivers, lawn and garden equipment, bicycles and bar-b-que, occassionaly the Harleys. Nothing other than tools, equipment and projects go in the shop.

When I first built my shop back in 1995 it seemed huge but let me tell you if you are addicted to tools like I am and probably most on the forum here, they fill up FAST. I operate a small business out of my home shop and it would be tough to get two full-size vehicles into it. It stated out as a two car plus shop and has reduced in size to a single car/truck, motorcycle and fabrication section shop.

It appears to be tight, which it is but over the past 20 years now I have built and turned out a lot of custom bikes, street rods, musclecars, sandrails, drag quads and snowmobiles out of my little home work shop. You just have to think smart on where you put equipment and really think out the added value of equipment prior to purchase and installation. Meaning if it is something you don't see yourself using much, don't buy it.

Here is a picture of my 1150 square foot shop from the outside. Sorry, not a very good overall pictures.

Here is from the man door looking it towards the welding and machining portion.

Here is from standing just inside the large rollup door looking into the motorcycle, welding and machining section. The bike lift tables generally are spread out more for space to work around. They are crowded together merely to gain some space as I had no bikes in the shop at the time this pictures was taken.

Here is looking from just inside the man door towards the automotive portion where my 10k pound two-post lift is. You can see a full-size truck on the lift fills up the shop fast.

I don't have any motorcycles in the shop in this picture but there is usually at least one bike on a lift, many times two bikes on lifts and one or two bikes sitting on the floor behind them (closer to the door).

Mike.

 

[ddawg16]

Mine is 20x25 (20x27 upstairs)



Still not big enough...

 

[workhurts]

31' wide by 20' deep. Ideally, I would have like to have one more bay but keeping things within reason, an extra half bay on the side for tools and/or motorcycle plus 4' in depth would have been really close to perfect (if we aren't talking about 4, 5, 6 bays).

So, for me, maybe 34 x 24 would have been sweet but like the others have said ... your garage can never be too big.

 

[bmxdad]

I'm just finishing up a 24'x36'x9'. Wish I was another 2' higher, but it's better then the 18'x22'x7' I was in.

Just after concrete driveway poured.

View media item 44602

 

[Bronson]

Mine is a 30x40, steel.
Sorry I don't have better pics. This is a hobby/restoration/hangout place, I spend 12-18 hours a day out there.
I added a 8x12 reefer box to one side that houses bead blaster, grinders, welder, etc.
I have two bike lifts in there and a small car, and big screen , numerous workbenches, and misc stuff.
If doing t over, I would have gone 30x50 instead of 30x40.
I hope the pics help.

30 ft elevation

Looking along the 40 ft length.

Across the 30 ft width.

Across 30 ft width, the reefer box, machine room is visible.

Sorry for the crappy pics....

Hope these help You visualize interior volume.

 

[davey25]

Ill try and get some pictures tonight but i have a 32 by 40 ( i would call this a 6 car with decent room around them). I have 2 mustangs stored in there and Im rebuilding a jeep with lots of space to work around it as well. It has a washroom and a small kitchen and i find it perfect. Nothing is tight and theres plenty of space.
I also have a 26 by 28 ( this is basically a 3 car) that I use for parking our daily drivers and the lawn equipment.. This garage would be a good size if all you were using it for was a shop and parking and storing nothing else, but I find my 32 by 40 perfect size.

 

[Old Moparz]

The rear wall on mine is staggered to clear the property line & to be able to keep the front parallel to the house so it didn't look crooked. The septic tank is in between the garage & the house so I had no choice. The sketch I attached shows the dimensions but it's close to the size you are proposing. I designed it for 3 car widths & room to work at 36' wide. Before I got the lifts I had 4 cars side by side for the winter but it would be too tight to work on them.

If I had the room I'd have went 40' wide but since I planned a second floor it wasn't critical. Also, I have two, four post lifts so I have 5 cars inside right now. The photo I attached taken from the front at night was before I assembled the second lift. There is a lot of room & I love having the 16' wide doors for plenty of clearance. The second floor has almost as much square footage as the first floor & I use it for storage.

 

[doidge]

I know you mentioned 24x40 and someone mentioned 30x40. Mine is right in between @ 34x34. I have 14' ceilings so no pictures of a vaulted ceiling.



I am in a similar situation whereas I have a two car on the house where my wife and I park our daily drivers, lawn and garden equipment, bicycles and bar-b-que, occassionaly the Harleys. Nothing other than tools, equipment and projects go in the shop.



When I first built my shop back in 1995 it seemed huge but let me tell you if you are addicted to tools like I am and probably most on the forum here, they fill up FAST. I operate a small business out of my home shop and it would be tough to get two full-size vehicles into it. It stated out as a two car plus shop and has reduced in size to a single car/truck, motorcycle and fabrication section shop.



It appears to be tight, which it is but over the past 20 years now I have built and turned out a lot of custom bikes, street rods, musclecars, sandrails, drag quads and snowmobiles out of my little home work shop. You just have to think smart on where you put equipment and really think out the added value of equipment prior to purchase and installation. Meaning if it is something you don't see yourself using much, don't buy it.



Here is a picture of my 1150 square foot shop from the outside. Sorry, not a very good overall pictures.

Here is from the man door looking it towards the welding and machining portion.

Here is from standing just inside the large rollup door looking into the motorcycle, welding and machining section. The bike lift tables generally are spread out more for space to work around. They are crowded together merely to gain some space as I had no bikes in the shop at the time this pictures was taken.

Here is looking from just inside the man door towards the automotive portion where my 10k pound two-post lift is. You can see a full-size truck on the lift fills up the shop fast.

I don't have any motorcycles in the shop in this picture but there is usually at least one bike on a lift, many times two bikes on lifts and one or two bikes sitting on the floor behind them (closer to the door).



Mike.

That shop is perfect. Do you like the size? I am wanting to build one myself soon

 

[zkling]

Hello All,

Long time lurker and now getting ready to think about a build. I know bigger is always better , but I am thinking about a a simple gable at around 24x40.

Looking at a floorplan, I am having a very hard time envisioning how that size will work in the real world. Could you helpful folks that have garages in around that size post up some interior (and exterior) pictures so I can get a better idea?

Thanks in advance!

Jake, I'd suggest you try out the Grizzly workshop planner. It has helped me quite a bit to visualize before putting forth the effort to move machines.

http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner

i figured out the more room i had, the more "stuff" i had laying around.........

it's all about the use of the space you have.

This, have to be very careful of this. Although I'm still in belief that a single stall is just too small.

Here is a picture of my 1150 square foot shop from the outside. Sorry, not a very good overall pictures.

Mike.

Very nice setup Mike. One question I wonder when I see shops like yours. Where do you keep all the misc household "stuff". Such as table saw, miter saw, rakes, shovels, mower, trimmer and things of the nature that support the house?

Mine is 20x25 (20x27 upstairs)

Very cool spiral staircase!

 

[Havocdog]

All I know is 19.5 X 17.5 is misery. My only saving grace is the kickout that my tool box fits into. Oh well, the price I pay for living with the highest housing cost location in the country.

 

[ambenz]

Build it as big as you can, period.
Cost wise, get the largest line of credit you can.
Build it as tall as you can.
I went into serious debt building the tallest and longest/widest, garage the village building commission would allow on my tiny parcel of turf.

View media item 47392
In the future, you'll thank yourself that you dreamed big!

 

[rubberrodder]

I went 24 deep X 28 wide x 18 tall. You can see it in the garage gallery titled "the wretched mess garage". I went tall so I could have an "artists"loft up stairs.{and a place to sleep after I piss off the wife!}

 

[crewchief888]

right side of my 19x22 where my s-10 blazer is always parked.

harley stays on the other side along with a work bench along the back wall.

it's a tight squeeze with the wifes car in there once the snow starts to fly, i have 18" from the tires on the blazer to my toolboxes.

her car stays outside once it warms up, and i move the blazer to the left about a foot.

i cant even get to 2 of my boxes, since i hauled a AC/DC miller sp250 welder home 3 weeks ago. WTF was i thinking

 

[rmmiller]

I have a "three" car garage that has some depth. Looking at it from the front, the far left is 22' deep for the first 7'6" of width. Moving right it goes to 37' deep and 23'6" in width. The picture is from the far back corner looking to the front, just past the water heater is the shallow section which is where SWMBO parks. I had the room to go deeper in the back corner and wish I would have for tool storage.

 

[Chopperjake]

You guys have given me a LOT to think about! Judging from some of the pictures, I think 30x40 is the size that will work well for me and all of the stuff I seem to bring home and that will still look reasonable on my lot.

I like the way that bmxdad's garage went together. That is a pole building I guess? You don't see many of those up here in Ottawa Canada, but I like it.

 

[jesse72]

This thread is a great idea, I am constantly looking through Gallery builds to see what size works well with what I have in mind. I don't know how many times Ive changed my mind on what I want/need once I finally settle down and buy a house.

 

[gearhead1]

I'm thinking about a 40 x 60. A 40 x 60 standard size metal building can be found for about $16k. I do enough work and definitely have enough tools for the space. I was thinking to have two roll up doors on the side, and should be enough room for a lift in a work bay and an area for the mill and lathe and a welding area.

 

[bmxdad]

You guys have given me a LOT to think about! Judging from some of the pictures, I think 30x40 is the size that will work well for me and all of the stuff I seem to bring home and that will still look reasonable on my lot.

I like the way that bmxdad's garage went together. That is a pole building I guess? You don't see many of those up here in Ottawa Canada, but I like it.

Yes, it's a pole building by Permabilt. I got the vapor barrier under a 6" concrete floor. Most of the electrical is run through conduit buried before the concrete was poured, same for data and water lines. Almost everything drops down to make its run under the floor. Only issue ... I should have gotten it higher. 9' is OK, but 12' would have been perfect.

Almost done with insulation and already feel a difference ...

 

[camaro454]

24x40

 

[camaro454]

Another view from the front

 

[bmxdad]

Another view from the front

Silver a '69 and gold a '70?

 

[Tiffanys]

my dream

 

[camaro454]

Silver is a 67 and the gold is a 70.

 

[bmxdad]

Jealous ... BBC 70's are dream cars.

 

[Chopperjake]

Camaro454

Thanks for the pictures. That is the exact size I am looking for!

And can I add that I love your cars. Personally, the gold 70 makes me drool!

 

[camaro454]

Thanks guys..

 

[Sammgb]

Here's my 20x30 right after we moved into the new house. Filled up fast.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Jake, I know there is alot in the Gallery Section butr spending a week's worth of evening perusing that section will give you plenty of ideas on shop size and layouts. As a quick reference, have you seen the Garage Gallery Index thread ?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151197